Today we’d like to introduce you to Annette Woodson Mitchell.
Annette Woodson Mitchell, Annette, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I grew up in south Alabama in a farming area, went to Auburn University in Alabama for two years in art, transferred to the University of Denver (Colorado) where I graduated with a B.F.A. degree in art. I married and moved to Portsmouth, NH where I worked in an art supply/framing shop for a year. The following year I taught art in five public schools. At the end of that year, I moved back to Alabama while my husband was in Vietnam. I began a master’s degree at the University of Miami in Florida one summer and soon got a graduate scholarship to the University of Alabama. My husband returned and we moved to Tuscaloosa where I earned my M.A. degree in stone lithography/painting. The following year I was hired to teach art at Livingston University (now the University of West Alabama) where I taught for eight years and became a tenured art professor and head of the department. When my first husband was offered a job in New Hampshire we moved to Wilmot in 1979.
I taught art at Notre Dame College in Manchester and at Plymouth State College. I saw that there was going to be a job opening a year later at PSC, so I returned to the University of Alabama to earn my M.F.A. in stone lithography/painting. The gamble paid off. I was hired to head the drawing program at Plymouth State College (now University) in 1981. My first husband left. I remained in Plymouth and remarried a few years later. I retired from PSU in 2013 but continue to teach two classes a year–one in January and one in July. I have an active art studio in my home.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I have always had an interest in drawing and painting. I switched to acrylic paint after my B.F.A. It fits my working style. I invented a foam block printing method in the early 1990s and wrote a textbook and created a DVD about my process titled Foam Is Where the Art Is–New Ways to Print. About the same time, I began to create art quilts using artistic techniques and combined my foam block printing techniques with that process. Creativity and originality are top priorities for me. I want my artwork to reflect my curiosity and thoughts. I want to always be learning something new, to be socially responsible, and to live a spiritual life.
In your view, what is the biggest issue artists have to deal with?
Economic independence.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
People can see my work at my website: annettemitchellart.com and I post daily photographic abstractions on my Facebook page. I enter art exhibitions regionally and have had articles published about my artwork in many magazines such as American Artist, School Arts, and others.
Contact Info:
- Address: P. O. Box 494, Plymouth, NH 03264
- Website: www.annettemitchellart.com
- Phone: (603) 536-4834
- Email: annette@plymouth.edu
SONY DSC
Image Credit:
John Anderson
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
